The Adventure Begins
by Book girl fan
Summary: A collection of one shots and story starts. Feel free to borrow!
1. The Adventure Begins

**Now, apparently I start a whole lot of stories that I have no intention of ever finishing. My inspiration has gone, and so I am offering up these story starts to whoever wants them. All I ask is that they credit it to me, and send me a link. There is a slim chance I will continue one of these stories, but only if I get some very positive feedback. **

**I'll start off this collection with a story piece that I never really liked, and doesn't feel finished. Let the stories begin! **

* * *

Nancy Drew looked over at Frank Hardy and smiled. She was enjoying this. The quiet night, the crickets chirping the stars twinkling far above them. And her companion wasn't bad either. Even if they were supposed to be on a case, this was still nice. She stole another look at Frank. This time, he returned the glance, and they both smiled in appreciation of the beautiful night.

Suddenly, the stillness was shattered by sounds coming from inside the tent where Frank's brother Joe was sleeping. A low moan was coming from the tent, then muttered sounds. "Don't...no...no, stop..." Frank unzipped the tent and went inside. Nancy stayed outside on watch.

Frank looked at his sleeping brother, tossing restlessly. He was glad Nancy had stayed outside. It looked like Joe was having a nightmare, and he wouldn't appreciate an audience. Joe's movements got wilder. "Stop! Leave me alone! Frank!"

Frank moved quickly to his brother's side. "It's okay, Joe. I'm here."

Joe blearily opened his eyes. "Frank?"

"It's okay, Joe. It was only a dream." Frank stroked Joe's hands with his fingers, a gesture that usually calmed Joe down. It worked this time too. Joe smiled. "See anything yet?"

"No. Feel like helping?"

Joe shrugged. "Sure. Won't be able to get back to sleep now." They both got up and crawled out of the tent. Nancy was still sitting outside. As they approached, she looked at them curiously, then held up the canteen. "I've got hot chocolate if you want some."

Soon, all three were sitting outside the tent, sipping hot chocolate. Joe looked up in surprise. "Hey! It's almost sunrise!"

Nancy and Frank turned to look, then Nancy said, "Well, good morning!"

They all toasted the new day.


	2. Clause Two

"Callie!" Joe glared at his brother's girlfriend from the chair she had just handcuffed him to."Why would you do this? Where did you even get these?" Callie just smiled infuriatingly at him.

"You know Frank's going to kill you for this." Joe said. Callie finally spoke, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "No, he isn't."

"And why isn't he?"

"Because it was my idea." said a voice from the doorway. Joe was speechless. He knew that voice. Frank came in, the smile on his face betrayed by the worry in his eyes. He gave Callie a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Cal."

She grinned evilly at Joe. "It was my pleasure."

"I'll drive you home." Frank told her. She nodded and went downstairs. Frank walked over to his brother. Joe, finally recovering his voice, exclaimed, "Frank! We're on a case! We can't stop now."

"No, we aren't on a case," Frank corrected. "You have a broken arm and a concussion. You are staying right here to rest, like the doctor ordered. Mom will be home soon, and she'll release you then." Frank turned to go, then turned back to Joe. "Tell Dad, clause two will not be applied." With this final cryptic remark, Frank left Joe's room.

Joe was frustrated and worried. He couldn't do anything, because he had been handcuffed to a chair, by his brother's girlfriend, and on his brother's orders, no less! What was Frank thinking? He must have been planning something dangerous, or he wouldn't have looked so worried. What had he planned?

As he walked down the stairs, Frank was lost in his thoughts. He couldn't have let Joe come with him. With his broken arm, it was too risky. His job would be dangerous enough without worrying about Joe. Now Joe would be stuck in his room, at least until their mother came home, and probably longer. Joe didn't know where he was going, so he couldn't follow him. If Joe searched hard enough, he could probably find some clue, but hopefully he wouldn't think of that, at least until the job was done.

Frank got into the car and drove Callie home. As the van pulled up outside her house, she turned to him. "I don't know what you have planned, and I know you won't let me come, but please be careful," she pleaded. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"I will," Frank promised. Callie got out and Frank started the van. Callie watched as he drove off. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Help!" Joe shouted, hearing the front door open. Laura quickly climbed the stairs and ran down the hall to Joe's room. At the doorway she stopped in shock. "Joe!" she exclaimed, running over to him. "What happened? Who did this? Where's Frank?"

"Callie did this," Joe scowled. "Mom, you'll need a key. Call Dad, he should have one."

"Why would Callie handcuff you to a chair?" Laura asked in confusion.

"Because Frank asked her to," Joe answered. Laura almost dropped her mobile phone. "Frank told her to? Why would he do that?"

"I think he's planned something. Mom, you really need to call Dad. Now."

Laura rang Fenton, and within twenty minutes he was at the house with a key for the handcuffs. "Now," Fenton said as he unlocked the handcuffs. "What happened?"

"Callie came in. She handcuffed me to the chair. Then Frank came in. He thanked her, then she left. Frank said that I was going to stay here, like the doctor ordered, and that Mom would be home soon to release me. Then he said to tell you that clause two will not be applied. What does that mean?"

Fenton's brow furrowed in thought. "The only thing like that I can think of would be a contract from when you were six. You asked me what you do to become an investigator. I came up with a silly contract, but I can't remember all of it offhand. I'd have to go find it. It's probably in the attic somewhere." He paused, then asked. "Do you have any idea where Frank was going?"

"None," Joe replied.

"I'll have a look for that contract. Frank might have it, he mentioned it a few weeks ago. Maybe that will give us a clue." Fenton said.

The contract was found sitting on top of Frank's desk. He had obviously looked at it recently. Joe picked it up and started reading it aloud. " 'Clause One. To do my best as an investigator. Clause Two. To try and stay unharmed and alive in any and all investigations.' " Joe looked up. "Why would Frank say that Clause Two will not be applied? Is he trying to put himself in danger?"

"Are there any clues to where Frank went?" Fenton asked. Joe quickly skimmed the page. "Nope, nothing. Maybe Callie knows."

Joe pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed Callie's number.

"Hello, this is Callie speaking."

"Hey Callie, this is Joe."

"So you got out of the handcuffs?"

"Yeah, I did. Do you know where Frank went?"

"No."

Fenton took the phone. "Callie, this is Mr Hardy speaking. Are you sure you don't know where Frank went?"

"He told me not to say anything."

"Callie, this is important. Frank could be in real danger."

"Well, he didn't actually mention you. He just said I couldn't tell Joe. So, he went to a warehouse."

"Do you know what warehouse?"

"I think it's somewhere in New York. He wouldn't tell me much."

"Thanks Callie." Fenton handed the phone back to Joe. "Yeah, thanks Callie. I'll pay you back for the handcuffs though." Joe hung up.

"Do you know what warehouse Frank could be at in New York?" Fenton asked Joe.

"No, I don't. Wait...a witness to one of the robberies that we're trying to solve said that they heard a warehouse mentioned." Joe quickly went into his room and searched among the many papers and other assorted junk on his desk. "Here it is! Warehouse 20."

"Do you know where Frank is yet?" Laura asked, appearing in the doorway.

Joe nodded enthusiastically. "Yup. We think he's in a warehouse in New York."

Laura's knees buckled, and she gripped the door frame for support. "A warehouse in New York?" she asked weakly.

"Yeah. Mom, what's wrong?" Joe rushed to his mother's side. With his and Fenton's help, she stood up. "It was just on the news. A warehouse blew up in New York." Laura turned to look at Fenton, her eyes filled with fear. "What if Frank was in there?"

"Maybe it was a different warehouse?" Fenton suggested.

"Warehouse 20. Was that-" The look in their faces told Laura that this was the one, and she fell sobbing into Fenton's arms.

"We don't know he was there, Laura." Fenton tried to calm his wife. Joe stood to one side, his eyes bright with tears. "Dad, we have to get over there."

Laura straightened up, wiping her tears away. "Yes, you have to get over there," she said firmly.

Fenton was reluctant to leave while Laura was still so upset. "Dad, we have to go." Joe said before bolting out of the room. Casting one final worried glance at Laura, Fenton followed his son out the door and to the garage.

They arrived at the warehouse, immediately spotting it by the police, firefighters and press gathered around. Joe jumped out of the car and ran towards the site. A policemen came out of nowhere and grabbed him.

"Whoa, kid, you can't go in there," the officer said. His name tag read Dime. "That area is off limits."

As Fenton came over, Joe stopped struggling and the policeman let go of his arm. "I'm Fenton Hardy, and this is my son Joe. I have reason to believe that my other son was in this warehouse at the time of the explosion."

The officer shook his head. "There was no one in the building when the explosion occurred. We would have found bodies, and there were none."

Fenton looked gratefully at the officer. "Thank you." He and Joe walked off to one side. Joe looked confused. "If Frank wasn't at the warehouse, where was he?"

"I don't know, Joe, but that's what we have to find out." Fenton replied grimly.


	3. She's Gone Mad

Chet opened the door. Joe was standing outside, looking devastated. "Hi Chet," he said quietly.

"What's up?" Chet asked concernedly.

"This will probably be a shock. I think we should go inside." Joe gently maneuvered Chet into the lounge room, and pushed him onto a couch, taking the facing one for himself.

"Okay," Chet asked nervously. "What's the big news?"

Joe looked at him solemnly. "Iola's alive."

A wave of emotion rushed over Chet. For the last year, he'd thought his little sister was dead, killed in a car bomb meant for the Hardys. Now she was suddenly alive? Chet felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Joe gazing sadly at him.

"That isn't all," Joe whispered wretchedly. "Chet, Iola isn't really herself anymore. She's gone crazy."

Chet angrily shoved Joe's hand off his shoulder. "Crazy? Iola couldn't be crazy. What could possibly make you think that?"

Joe's eyes were filled with torment. "She attacked Frank."

"What?"

Joe slowly nodded his head. "She thinks the car bomb was his fault. She has this mad idea that he was jealous, and tried to kill her."

"What did she do?" Chet asked, his voice rasping.

"She tried to kill him. He's in hospital, in critical condition." Joe said, hating every word. Chet stood up and headed to the door. "I have to go see him."

"What for?"

"I don't know, to apologize! It's my fault, she's my sister-" Chet stopped and fell to his knees in the hallway. "My sister..."

Gently, Joe helped Chet up, then guided him out to the passenger side of the van. Then Joe got in the driver's side, and drove to the hospital. When they arrived, Chet seemed to come out of his shock. "Joe, what happened?" he asked.

Joe stopped, not wanting to say anything. It would just hurt Chet, and he saw no good in that. "It's not important," he said, and turned to leave the car.

Chet grabbed Joe's sleeve. "It is important, Joe. I have to know."

Joe turned around and looked Chet in the eye, seeing the determination there. He knew that Chet would not give in until the story was told.

"Okay, I'll tell you everything that happened." Joe took a deep breath and began.


	4. Waiting Room

Fenton and Laura sat together in the waiting room of the hospital, while Frank paced the room. Laura leaned into her husband's embrace. He tightened his hold on her. "The waiting is always the worst part," he whispered softly. She nodded in agreement.

Frank looked over at his parents, then resumed his pacing. Joe had been admitted to the hospital an hour ago, and still nobody had any information. Frank wanted to see his brother and know that he would be fine, and nothing would take him away from the hospital until he knew.

Frank winced, but quickly tried to cover it, in case his parents were watching. He had been having trouble breathing for a couple of hours now. Every time he took a breath, his side hurt fiercely. If his parents found out, they would probably order him to get checked over then and there, and he couldn't let that happen. He wanted to know as soon as possible if Joe was alright.

Frank paced a few more steps, then stopped. His side was hurting even more now, not just when he breathed, but consistently. 'Maybe I should sit down,' he thought. He turned, and started to walk towards the chairs. Suddenly, the pain intensified, and Frank collapsed.

Fenton and Laura quickly looked over at the crash, and saw Frank lying on the floor. Fenton stood up and moved over to him. He tried to shake Frank awake, but it wasn't working. "Go get a doctor, now," he said to Laura. She nodded tensely and hurried off.

Soon, a doctor and some nurses came and lifted Frank onto a gurney. As they were leaving, another doctor came out and called, "Hardy?" Fenton and Laura walked over to him. The doctor smiled. "Joe has a minor concussion, but is otherwise in perfect health. We'd like to keep him overnight for observation though, just in case."

"That's fine," Fenton said. "Which room is he in?"

The doctor gave them directions, and they went to Joe's room. Joe was sitting up in bed, waiting for them. He waved as they came in. "Hi Mom, Dad. Can I go now?"

"You're going to stay here overnight for observation." Laura said firmly.

Joe scowled. "Why do I have to?"

"Because the doctor said so," Laura replied.

"OK, but you have to get me out of here early." Joe looked around the room. "Where's Frank?"

Joe saw his parent exchange glances and knew something was up. Laura came and sat down beside him on the bed. "Joe, while we were waiting for news on you, Frank had to be admitted. They're checking him over right now."

"Why did Frank have to be admitted?" Joe asked.

Laura looked down, then returned Joe's gaze. "He collapsed in the waiting room."

Joe fell back on the bed, stunned. "Is he going to be OK?"

This time Fenton spoke. "We're still waiting for news."


	5. The Justifiers

_There is an organization called the Justifiers. They are known in very few circles. Their main aim is to take out agents of another little known organization called the Network. Some believe that they are justice bringers, avenging those killed in Network operations. Others believe that they are assassins, who kill only for money and glory._

_Whatever their affiliations, they have one agent who outshines the rest. He goes by name of Nightbringer, and ruthlessly pursues any Network agent he is sent to find. But...he wasn't always a Justifier. Once...Once, he was a teenager by the name of Frank Hardy._

17 year old Joe Hardy looked up the dark alley and smiled. Quietly, he walked towards the shadowed figure at the top of the alley. As he got closer, he bit his lip, trying to contain his laughter. The figure was still seemed to be unaware of his approach. Joe snuck closer, then closer still. Then he shot a hand out and grabbed the figure's shoulder.

The figure started, then grabbed Joe's hand and flipped him onto his back. Joe lay there, laughing loudly at the look on the face of his year older brother. Frank shook his head in exasperation. "Joe, what do you think you're doing?"

"Scaring the wits out of you," Joe replies, breathless from laughter. Frank scowls in mock exasperation. "Well, now that you've done that, can we continue searching?"


End file.
